This year three former students have been highlighted for using their experience of studying at a UK university to make a positive contribution to their communities, professions, and countries.
Alumna Janki Rajapurkar Deole has been selected as a Global finalist, with the award winner being announced later in the year. Additionally, alumni Muhammad Salman Khan and Holly Penalver have received recognition as regional award finalists.
Janki Rajapurkar Deole is a Global finalist in the Entrepreneurial Award category.
The award winner is due to be announced in the summer and will be awarded to someone who is active in initiating or contributing to innovative and creative new ideas and solutions, and/or business opportunities that have the potential for strong growth.
The alumna is the Co-founder of Samiksha Sports Pvt Ltd, a pioneering sports and performance psychology company. She has helped more than 10,000 athletes to improve their performance by building mental resilience and provided mentoring to 100 psychologists to support the growth of the sector. Janki was India’s first qualified sports psychologist, and graduated with a masters degree in Psychology of Sport and Exercise in 2011.
Dr Muhammad Salman Khan, who lives and works in Pakistan, was recognised as the Pakistan regional finalist in the Professional Achievement Award category.
Muhammad graduated with a PhD in Electrical and Electronics Engineering in 2013. He is currently an Assistant Professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering, and the Principal Investigator in Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare (AIH, IIPL) at the National Centre of Artificial Intelligence (NCAI), at the University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar, Pakistan.
Muhammad’s research profile is multidisciplinary, encompassing diverse fields including mining, astronomy, volcanology, radar, speech processing, communications, and healthcare. Recently, he has been focusing on research and development in innovative digital health technologies. Some research projects within healthcare include image-based detection for carcinoma, a type of cancer, AI-enabled diagnosis for thalassaemia, an inherited condition effecting haemoglobin, automatic sound-based heart abnormality detection, and image-based COVID-19 detection.
His vision is to transform the healthcare system of Pakistan through innovative digital technologies, promoting local manufacturing, and creating training and employment opportunities for young people.
Holly, who lives in Greece, is the European regional finalist in the Social Impact Award category. Holly (Psychology 2008) has been recognised for her work as the CEO and Founder of Indigo Volunteers, a group supporting charities along the European refugee route.
Indigo provides the charities with volunteers, professional training, and welfare support. They help fill any humanitarian gaps and deliver emergency aid to refugees and migrants held at European borders.
Find out more about the Study UK Awards.